POV Warmeister Geckodo

Warmeister Geckgodo looked out over the clearing to the immense cabin that lay at the center. Over the days since they had arrived, he had seen no sign of the great mage that was said to have been living within. Finally, his kin had overcome their fear and they were ready to begin. Cautiously, he led a group of his finest warriors out from the treeline.

Just as he and his warriors were about to step out he caught sight of movement and froze. Turning he saw a group of Fairy-Kind leave the safety of the forest’s edge and begin moving confidently toward the cabin. Hissing quietly he had his warriors retreat slightly back into the shadows. He watched, livid, as the Fair Folk strolled across the clearing like they owned the very ground they walked on. Geckodo felt his fangs sharpen and he strived to calm down. It would not do to lose control here.

The Fairy-Kind had moved faster than he expected. They usually took longer to decide on a course of action. At most, the Warmeister figured they would send scouts but scouts did not worry him. The Stage Three that led the current assault though, certainly did. The little figure was arrogant in the way it strode across the green grass leading to the cabin. ‘As the strong can.’ Geckodo thought-spoke to himself sourly. He and his kin had long ago lost the ability to vocalize normally. He watched, silently seething, as the little people ducked under the outer wooden section before disappearing from sight.

Geckodo hissed in displeasure but contained himself after. His eyes narrowed in thought. Perhaps this was for the best. It was a small group that had come and only one was a Stage Three. Many of the Fair Folk were only Stage One. As weak as the Fallen had become they could still defeat those. And Geckodo now knew what they were after. A Dungeon.

A young one evidently and the great mage inside must have either left or died. The Warmeister thought that last one was a bit farfetched but the human had been old even by tall folk standards. The Dungeon might have found some way of dealing with him. Maybe in his sleep.

It didn’t matter. What did matter was that his scouts had already identified multiple entrances leading into the Dungeon. The Fallen would not fail this time. He waited a few minutes more to make sure the Fair Folk had fully engaged before he mentally goaded his warriors forward. They circled to the opposite side of the building and ducked under the porch there. As Geckodo felt the increased Aether in the atmosphere he smiled, his fangs glinting white in the shadow cast by the porch. He breathed deeply and caught his warriors doing the same. Here was Aether aplenty and perhaps a solution.

Because as he breathed in the Warmeister stiffened in shock. It was barely there but the Warmeister had never forgotten the smell and taste of divinity. It didn’t matter that it was barely noticeable. It didn’t matter that it was Dungeon. All at once the Warmeister’s plans changed. He glanced around to make sure his warriors suspected nothing. They did not. He snorted in derision. They had fallen further than he had after all. It didn’t surprise him that they could no longer acknowledge divinity.

Warmeister Geckodo though, he remembered. Remembered the feeling of his Authority being stripped away, remembered the loss of Potential. He remembered Falling. This Dungeon. He would test it. But perhaps…perhaps the Fallen had found a new master. All he had to do was pay for an audience. And if he had to pay in blood...so be it.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

POV Cormac Torgir

Cormac breathed deeply as he ripped his claymore out of the mouse he had planted it in. The Aether present in the air revitalized him as nothing else had in a long time. He felt like he was finally living again. A tiny mote of Aether seeped into him from the mouse but it was barely worth mentioning. He didn’t care. After living so long without the satisfaction of a monster kill he wouldn’t say no to any opportunity to deal some mayhem.

The cohesiveness of his group could have been better. As soon as they had entered the Dungeon’s territory they had encountered chaos. Different creatures battling it out all over the place. At first, it had been hard to notice which creatures were normal critters and which were Dungeon creations but as they Delved further under the porch they had come across more and more opposition. The range of creatures was decently impressive but many had barely any Aether present in them. It was clear from the range that the Dungeon had been utilizing any creatures it could get its hands on.

Cormac smiled with glee. It didn’t matter at the moment whether or not the Dungeon revealed stronger creatures as they Delved deeper. All that mattered was the feeling of proper Delving once again. He flexed, feeling his muscles drink in the Aether as he breathed it in. The smile never left his face as he charged at another target. He brought his claymore across in a blindingly quick maneuver and separated the mantis’s forelimbs off at the joint. From there it took him a single movement more to cleave the insect in two.

Taking a moment he turned and observed his group. A handful of the Stage One’s had disappeared in the chaos most likely confused about the proper way to Delve a Dungeon. He didn’t much care. He still had a tight reign on most of them and they were moving quickly enough towards the fortress in the distance. That was where the Aether drained deeper.

The Aether content did cause a slight twinge of anxiety within him. The amount of Aether flowing deeper was less than he would have imagined it would be. The Floor he was on spread out to either side of him further than he could see, wrapping around the building. He grimaced. He supposed it could be possible that multiple entrances had been made but as to why the Dungeon would do that Cormac had no answers.

He shrugged. It didn’t really matter either way. When he had conquered the Dungeon he could get it to change however which way he wanted it to. He smiled a little wider at the glee on Fiona’s face as she battered another insect to the ground before hardening his expression. The conquering hadn’t happened yet. He turned his gaze upon the fortress and marveled at its construction. It was obvious that the Dungeon had made it. It looked like a fully functional miniature fortress like the ones he had seen in the lands of the tall folk. It was picture perfect which was why he was convinced it was a Dungeon creation since he couldn't imagine the Dungeon had any sapient servants.

At the rate they were plowing through monsters, they should reach it soon. Cormac felt a grin overtake his face. The Dungeon obviously hadn’t built the fortress with earth affinities in mind. He would break straight through those walls with ease. He pushed forward even as the others did, racing to Delve even deeper.

*********

A [Salamander], lost from the main group had happened upon a mouse. She had fought it of course and found it a tougher foe than she had originally believed. Still, she had managed and now was feasting on the roasted meat of the mouse, enriched as it was with Aether. Even as she ate she kept her eyes on a swivel, aware that she was in a Dungeon with its many dangers. As her eyes shifted back and forth they caught on a glimmer of something. It was like a deep liquid that just had to be stared at. The [Salamander] forgot her meal and went closer to investigate.

The deep pools drew her closer and she even found that the liquid hissed like a hot spring only the sound was even more soothing. Only as the pools drew actively closer did she see the vertical slit within denoting them as eyes. Even as she regained awareness it was too late. All she felt was a soothing kind of pain as the liquid pools, that some part of her recognized as a reptilian pair of eyes, consumed her whole.